A California law that caps non-economic awards in medical malpractice lawsuits has cut payments in such lawsuits by 30 percent, according to a Rand Corporation study released on Monday.
Researchers found that because of the limits on attorney’s fees contained in the California Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, net recoveries actually realized by these plaintiffs were [...]

Morgan Stanley agreed on Monday to pay $54 million to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf Allison Schieffelin, a former convertible bond sales representative, and as many as 340 woman.
As part of the settlement, Morgan Stanley, which did not admit to any wrongdoing, agreed to spend [...]

Activist Bev Harris and computer programmer Jim March filed a Qui Tam lawsuit in California against Diebold, alleging software bugs in the company’s equipment exposed the state’s elections to hackers.
The lawsuit was filed in November of 2003, but the suit was held under seal by the courts while various government attorneys decided whether or not [...]

Drug giant Pfizer Inc. has agreed to pay $60 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of falsely marketing its diabetes drug Rezulin.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of purchasers of Rezulin who live in Illinois. It sought a refund for all Rezulin tablets they had purchased.
Pfizer admitted to no wrong [...]

A group of attorney generals in June sent a letter to congressional leaders over their opposition to the so-called “Class Action Fairness Act,” saying if enacted would result in far greater harm than good.
The act, which is scheduled for a Senate vote this week, limits the rights of consumers to sue companies for corporate wrongdoing [...]

Prices for brand name prescription drugs most frequently used by people 50 and older continue to increase faster than inflation, according to a new study released last week by the AARP.
According to the study: “Prices rose 3.4 percent during the three-month period ending March 31, 2004 compared to a 1.2 percent rate of general inflation [...]